


Since the World's Been Turning

by RoseRose



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: American History, But not a songfic, M/M, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Pre-Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, We Didn't Start the Fire-Song
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2019-10-23 20:39:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17690468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseRose/pseuds/RoseRose
Summary: Steve wanted to catch up, and he had somehow heard of the song "We Didn't Start the Fire". Tony was willing to help him catch up, and thought the music was awesome.Somehow, Becca Barnes and introspection both became involved.Featuring history, feelings, and awesome Becca Barnes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is very much a work in progress. I hope to keep it going, but I don't know how long it is going to be, and I don't know how long it will take to finish. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> I would like to thank my betas, yuuki_Illene, Skye_wyr and my husband who is not in fandom at all but I made him read the fic anyway, they have been awesome! Any remaining mistakes are all my own.

Steve never learned the name of the SHIELD agent who suggested he listen to “We Didn't Start the Fire” in order to catch up to the present- it was something said in passing, and weeks later he couldn't even tell you whether they were male or female, much less what they looked like. Those first few weeks had been overwhelming, and he wasn't even sure why that one idea even stuck with him.

After the Battle of New York, and the road trip that didn't get very far, Steve ended up back at the steps of Stark Tower, now mostly recovered from the damage after less than a month. Stark Tower was his destination, because he wasn't ready to go back to SHIELD yet, and he didn't know where else to go. After walking in, Steve went up to the receptionist. “I'd like to see Tony Stark, please.”

“Do you have an appointment?” The receptionist's voice was pleasant, a contrast to the eye roll she made at yet another request to see the head of Stark Industries made by someone who wasn't on her list of appointments for the day, or the list of people who didn't need either such thing.

“No, but he did say to come by some time. My name is Steve Rogers.” Steve stammered, not quite having thought through this part, just wanting a familiar face, even if they had some trouble getting there.

The receptionist's whole demeanor changed to one of respect. “If you have some ID, I can send you up right away. He left word you're to be allowed through whenever you showed up.” She held out a hand to take the ID Steve fumbled out of his wallet. “Okay, take that last elevator there. It will go straight to the penthouse.”

Steve walked towards the elevator in a daze, not quite sure what he had gotten himself into. After the doors closed, he heard a voice, “Welcome to Stark Tower, Captain. Sir is finishing up a project, and will be in to see you shortly.”

“Thank you. Are you Mr. Stark's assistant?” Steve assumed the receptionist had alerted the man as soon as he had left the desk.

“No, Captain Rogers. My name is JARVIS, and I am Sir's artificial intelligence.”

“Artificial intelligence? What's that?”

“You can think of me as an intelligent robot without a body. As AIs, as artificial intelligences are commonly referred to, do not exist outside of fiction, with myself as the only exception, it makes it hard to give appropriate context.”

“And Mr. Stark created you? Wow... I knew he was smart, but I didn't realize how smart.”

“We have reached the penthouse, Captain. Sir will be with you shortly. If you require any assistance, simply ask out loud, and I will do my best to help.”

“Thanks JARVIS, that'd be swell.” Steve sat down on the couch in the opulent penthouse, not wanting to disturb anything. Now that his conversation with the unique artificial intelligence was over, nerves were returning. He didn't really know what to say to Mr. Stark; all he knew was that he was lost, and this was the only place other than SHIELD that he had anything resembling a lighthouse to guide his way.

Before he had time to get too nervous, the elevator opened again, and Tony Stark came out of it, wearing a T-shirt saying “Metallica” at the top, and “And Justice For All” at the bottom over a picture of Lady Liberty, and a pair of worn jeans. Steve didn't even have time to think about what the T-shirt meant before Tony was talking rapidly, “Hi Cap! What brings you to my neck of the woods? Tired of seeing the sights of the country already? Freedom of the open road no longer beckoning you down its path? Need a tune up on your motorcycle? I'm sure that's it. Don't worry, I can I have it fixed, no matter what's wrong with it in no time. You'll be up and running before you can say boo.”

Steve blinked as he took in the deluge of words sent in his direction. “I... I just came here because I wasn't sure where else to go.” His own unexpected frankness surprised Steve, but Tony appeared even more shocked, as the engineer actually went still instead of continuing his frenetic movements.

“Well, Cap, I've always got room for an American hero. Mi casa es su casa, especially since you outdid Ripley on the alien-killing front.” Tony had on his full smile, the one Steve had seen in interviews, though perhaps a tiny bit more sincere.

“Ripley? Who's Ripley?” Steve knew it was a pop culture reference he was missing, and he was tired of it.

“Oh my, that's what we shall do! You have missed years of pop culture and other references. I'll help you catch up with everything. Let's start with music! I would be delighted to introduce you to the new music that's come out since you went into the ice. JARVIS, a selection from my Worktime playlist!” Tony let loose another deluge of words.

Steve was about to object when the sounds of “We Didn't Start the Fire” started to come through the speakers. He'd only heard the song once, but it triggered the memory of the suggestion of using it to help catch up. While unsure if Tony would be willing to help in any way other than his own, he figured asking wouldn't hurt. “Hey, Tony, someone suggested I use this song to help me catch up. I think I'd like to do that. It sounds like a good song, and it has a lot of references that I'd need to understand to even start to get your stuff. Think you could help with that?”

Tony grinned. “Using music to help you get caught up? I'm all over that! JARVIS, project the lyrics so we know where to get started. Cap, the awesome thing about this song is that it's all chronological, so even when we need to catch you up on something to get a reference, it'll all build on each other. You'll be up to speed in no time. But, didn't SHIELD catch you up on any of this?”

A heavy sigh escaped Steve, even though he didn't want to denigrate SHIELD. “It was dry history reading- at least the parts that weren't depressing military history. I don't even want to think about how the war in the Pacific ended, that made me sick.”

“Well, this song isn't all fun and games, far from it, but there will at least be more than just military history.” Tony wondered how SHIELD could have managed to avoid bringing Steve up to speed at all competently, but he was on the task now, and he was a genius. Surely he could help Steve with this.

“Let's start with the beginning. Some of it will take more explanation than others, and hell, sorry, heck, I might need to look some of it up myself, but hey, JARVIS will give us a hand, right, Jarvis?”

“Certainly, Sir” came the long-suffering voice of the AI.

The first verse started with a name very familiar to Steve, that of Harry Truman. “Hey, he was Vice President when I went down. What's he doing in here?” Steve looked happy to see a reference he understood, at least a bit, but slightly confused as to why.

“Well, the song starts off at the tail end of the 40s, and Truman was elected to a full term as President in the 1948 election. Actually, there's a funny story to go with that one. The major polling firm at the time thought Truman had no chance to win, that his opponent, Dewey, was going to win by a landslide. So, because of that, there's a famous picture of a victorious Truman holding up a newspaper that says, 'Dewey Defeats Truman'. JARVIS, show Cap the picture.” Tony winds down as the holo display in the room lights up with the famous picture of Truman.

Steve tries to assimilate everything he heard, when he catches one bit. “Full term? Why say that? He was Roosevelt's Vice President...” Steve trails off as the reason why full term would be relevant hits him. “Did FDR die in office? I voted for him, in both '40 and '44, I was too young in '36, but I supported him back then. Heck, my ma supported him in '32, before that she voted for Norman Thomas. He was wonderful during the Depression, doing so much to try and pull the country out of it. I don't think he went far enough with health care, though. He suggested socialized health care for all, but had to drop it because the swells opposed. I think he shoulda gone for it, though... Well, anyway... What happened to him?” Steve was only seeing the politics of the past, not the scenes of the present, and didn't see the way Tony's jaw dropped when he looked at his tablet to realize Thomas was the Socialist candidate, and went on to full on gaping at his support of universal health care.

Tony recovered quickly, he was used to dealing with shocks, though this was going to have to be revisited at a future date. “He did die in office, Steve. Not too long after you went down, actually. Natural causes.” Tony took a deep breath, because he had to know. He also needed to know if he needed to get his lawyers to buy up all the rights to Steve's image because it was being used in ways a Socialist would strongly disapprove of. “Are you a Socialist, Steve? That's not a very popular political stance these days...”

“Yes? I mean... I was more of an FDR supporter, but I thought he could have gone further for the working folk. What's wrong with standing for medicine and food and shelter for people?” Tony knew then that he had to make sure he had his lawyers gain control of Cap's image. If he didn't own it when Steve found out what it had been used for... well, that would not be pleasant. Tony was going to have to start making changes immediately to Cap's image, to make it more like Steve's actual opinions. As he started talking, he sent the email to his legal team to immediately begin the acquisition.

“Well, we'll get to McCarthy and what happened there a bit further in the song, which will explain a lot of what happened to American socialism, so don't worry about that now!” Tony rushed through the explanation, hoping they would have a day or two of catching up before getting to McCarthy, since it was getting on to dinner time, and they were still on line one of the song. Speaking of... “Hey, it's about time for dinner, are you up for trying something new? I'm sure I can get someone to deliver a cuisine you have never tried.”

Steve blinked at the rapid change of subject. “I guess I could try something new. I'll eat just about anything so far. But what do you mean, deliver? Do you have a chef here in the building? I've never had that, but all the swells did back in the day.”

Tony blinked at the realization of something else that he took for granted that Steve had no idea about. “No. Well, yes, I have a chef, but that's not what I'm talking about. Now, you can pay someone to come and deliver all different kinds of food directly to you. It actually started off with pizza, but now you can get pretty much anything right to your door.”

Steve nodded, smiling. “That's pretty neat! I bet it makes it easy to try lots of things. Why don't you recommend some things, and I'll tell you if I tried them before.”

Tony thought about what cuisine he wanted to share with Steve as well as what he may have never tried. “Well, there's Thai, Indian, Moroccan, Japanese, or, if you're in the mood for soup, a great Vietnamese Pho place.”

“I've never had any of those. I'm not sure if I've even heard of some of those! I'd be happy to try any of them.” Steve's mouth had started to water at the thought of all the new food to try, and having the ability to get all of it.

“Well, how do you feel about spicy food? Some of those are best when they're spicy, though you can get them not as spicy.” Tony started nearly bouncing at all the ideas in his head about food

“Spicy works. Maybe we should order it soon, though. I'm starting to get pretty hungry.” Steve's stomach was starting to growl as he thought more about food.

“All right, a wide selection of Thai dishes it is. I'm sure you'll enjoy them.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here comes Becca Barnes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two! I have a few more chapters mostly prepped, and then we'll see how long it takes. Just a reminder as it is relevant in this chapter, the story takes place same year as the Avengers movie, 2012.

After dinner, where Steve found that he loved a good yellow curry, talk turned towards Tony catching Steve up on Tower repairs. It concluded with Tony showing Steve one of the new guest rooms, and Steve being told to make himself at home, and the two men leaving each other for the night.

Before going to sleep, Tony made sure to check on the progress of his lawyers towards acquiring Cap's image- and he was starting to think of Steve as two separate entities, “Captain America” and “Steve Rogers”, with Captain America being the one the public sees, and Steve the man who came to him lost and desperate to catch up. Fortunately, it looked like it would only be a couple of days, and then they could work on making the public face one the private man Tony was starting to get to know become more congruent.

Sleep also did not come easily to Steve His mind was filled with speculation, and worry. He hadn't seen a lot of how the United States was trending after he left on his road trip, though he had noticed the wonderful highway system that allowed him to see a lot in a short time. Steve did wonder about this hiccup about socialism, given that he had long supported unions, healthcare, rights for.. well, he thought they were called African-Americans these days, but at the time, it was “rights for Negros”, and for women as well. Eventually, he fell asleep in between one guess and the next.

The next morning, Tony checked his emails to see if the lawyers had made any progress. Apparently the rights to Captain America's image had gone to Bucky Barnes' little sister, since Steve didn't have any family. Both war heroes had left their possessions and reputations in her hands, and according to the lawyers, she was still alive, pissed, and suing various conservative organizations and other companies (including the studios who made all but the two best Captain America movies) because absolutely none of them had paid for permission. She just didn't have the money or clout to win, though she had a good enough case to keep it going off and on. In fact, if she had wanted to settle, she could have for lots of money, but the principle appeared to be stronger for her than the call of a not insignificant fortune..

Tony grinned, laughed, and shot off an email to his lawyers telling them to offer any and all assistance, including pro-bono use of Stark lawyers and influence to get the cases taken care of. His face suddenly fell. Tony realized he's also have to tell Steve that Becca Barnes was still alive. Hell, depending on how that conversation went (or even the conversation between her and the lawyers) he might have to tell Becca Barnes that the Captain America from the news was her brother's old friend Steve, the original. Not a costumed impostor as he'd seen bandied about in the news. He was sure SHIELD would release the fact it was the original Captain America eventually, but declassifying something like that would take a lot of time. Well, he was certainly going to delay any reveals as long as possible because he didn't want to be the one to have to tell her. Ugh. Why was his life so complicated? And why did he insist on making everything better that he could for Cap?

Steve woke up slowly, having slept better than he had in a long time. Apparently being here, in Tony's tower, made him feel comfortable. He still wasn't all that oriented to the future, but he was doing better, and he felt good with Tony helping him. He still had a lot of questions about things, including why having socialist leanings was so shocking to Tony, but he was ready to go slowly and continue with the plan.

After breakfast, the two of them ended up in the common room. “Ready for the next bit, Cap?” Tony smiled, happy to continue forward in history.

Steve nodded, “Yes, I think so.” The song continued with the line “Doris Day”.

“I think I may have heard the name. Who's Doris Day?”

Tony actually grinned. “She's a star, has been since your day, and is still singing. She actually had a new album last year. Not my kind of music, but I checked it out last night. She was also in films, from the forties on. Want to watch one? Her debut film is called 'Romance on the High Seas'. I don't know if you're a fan of such things, but we could give it a shot for that cultural catch up?”

“Eh, may not be my kind of movie, but if the dame has a good voice, it should still be worth it. Let's take a look.” Steve was hoping to see a movie that didn't have too many references he didn't get, and if it was from not too long after his time, it might make it enjoyable.

Tony and Steve settled in to watch the movie, which Steve unsurprisingly and Tony surprisingly enjoyed. The movie and discussion about the best parts brought them to lunch, where Tony surreptitiously checked his tablet to see the progress in getting Steve's image back in control of someone who actually cared. It was a good thing he did, as well, as the lawyers were getting sharp, suspicious questions about why Tony Stark suddenly cared about Captain America's image, and did it have anything to do with the man with the shield who showed up to save New York. Tony was hoping to put off the explanation until the next day, when his new bond with Cap (and he couldn't seem to make up his mind if it was Cap or Steve) might be at least good enough that he could get a whole explanation out before Steve (or was it Cap?) completely freaked out. He shot off an email to his lawyers asking them to stall. It looked like he was going to have to explain what was going on with Steve's image before he got Captain America's rights where they belonged. Maybe over dinner would be the best bet. Maybe.

Steve, for his part, was trying to get used to technology. He had a Starkphone, because he was told that was the easiest to use, and it was fairly intuitive. The thing was, the internet, which he was getting used to using, was so vast and had so much he just didn't have the background to understand. He decided to start small, and look up Doris Day, since he already had some background on her. Steve found the search page he was told to use, something called “Google”, and typed in her name. He then spent the rest of lunch buried in the results that he successfully found.

After lunch, they reconvened to continue with the catching up. Despite only talking about teaching Steve the future, the two of them already seemed more comfortable with each other, slouching into the room rather than the stiff walk of the parade ground, or the sensual stalk put on for the paparazzi. Tony was grateful for that, because later was going to be a difficult conversation. But, in the meantime, the next line of the song, “Red China”.

“So, Steve, what do you know of the Chinese Civil War? It was still ongoing when you went down, but I don't know how much was common knowledge at the time.”

“Well, I know the two sides had made a truce until after the war, because China was being hit hard by Japan, and that one side was communist. I also know the other side had its issues. Boy, there were articles in the newspapers about the situation. The... Kuomintang? I think it was called, was corrupt, and everything. Umm, what else? The Kuomintang was led by Chiang Kai-Shek, and the communists by Mao Tse-tung. I'm sure there's more that I know, but that's what I can come up with as most relevant.”

Tony leaned back in his seat. “Well, the short story is that after the war you were in ended, the two sides went back to fighting and the communists won, with Mao Zedong becoming the man in charge of China and Chiang Kai-Shek and his followers ended up fleeing to an island called Taiwan off the coast of China. Uh, you might know Taiwan as Formosa if you've ever heard of it. China will come up again, but at this point, knowing that it is controlled by the communists, and also that they don't necessarily get along with the Soviets should get you to the rest of the song, at least.”

“So, the truce didn't last? That doesn't surprise me. I hope that the communists were good for the people, at least. They're the ones who get hurt during wars...” Steve drifted off into thoughts of the damaged civilian towns, and hurt and killed civilians he had seen during World War II in Europe.

Tony winced internally. “We can get into China's history later. We're on a roll with the song now. Next up, Johnnie Ray. He was a popular singer, got his start late forties, early fifties. Want to take a listen?”

Steve, having enjoyed the Doris Day pop culture interlude, was more than willing to listen to another singer from not too far from 'his time'. “Let's. I'm sure he's pretty swell if he made it into another song as a reference.” JARVIS, having taken Steve's enthusiastic agreement as a signal, started playing “Cry” as it was the most famous song by Johnnie Ray.

Tony watched Steve's face as the music played. At first, he seemed to be enjoying the song, but as the lyrics continued, a soft melancholy fell over Steve. It wasn't oppressive, but the mood of the room was down from where it was just previously. Tony also was moved by the lyrics. As soon as the song ended, Steve shot up, and said, “I need to go check in with...” He trailed off as the lie became even more obvious.

Tony stood up more slowly. “Let's meet again for dinner.” Tony immediately went down to the workshop to make sure the next few lines wouldn't stir up bad memories for either man, rather than dwelling on what he felt.

Afterwards, Steve sat in his room and asked JARVIS for other songs by Johnnie Ray, as despite the melancholy the sound was familiar, and he wanted to dive in as much as he did with Doris Day. JARVIS obliged him by playing “The Little White Cloud that Cried.” Slowly, the tears started to roll down Steve's face, but for the first time since being in the 21st century, the tears were healing. Steve sat there, taking comfort rather than pain from his memories until it was time for dinner.

In his workshop, Tony decided to watch South Pacific before suggesting it for an after-dinner show.

After dinner, the two of them watched the movie. Steve enjoyed it thoroughly, and was glad that something so close to his time was still remembered. Some of the parts caused some epic nostalgia, but he did his best to hide them from Tony, and Tony, for once, was polite enough to ignore those moments. Overall, Steve went to bed happier.

Tony sighed. He hadn't actually managed to talk to Steve about Bucky's sister. It had been a good night, though. First thing in the morning, over breakfast, before more catching up. That's when he'd have to do it- especially since he read an email from his lawyers before going to bed that Becca Barnes was about to go to the media if she didn't find out why this was coming up now.

Steve fell asleep easier than he had since coming to the future. He had watched a good movie that was close enough to his time that he was able to understand it, and the music wasn't so different as to make it harder, either. He was ready to face the future, or so he thought


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some of Steve using old language and learning new. Nothing is used derogatorily.
> 
> Steve also engages in some soul searching about his own sexuality, with some internalized biphobia going on. Not much, but wanted to warn just in case.

Tony woke up, and got to work. He needed to figure out how to best explain Becca Barnes to Steve, and be ready for him to possibly want to go see her immediately (possible, as she still lived in Brooklyn). He took a deep breath. He could do this. Why did it feel that this had higher stakes than anything he did outside the Chitauri invasion, though?

Steve woke up feeling refreshed and looking forward to the rest of the day and catching up further. The future felt like it was starting to get closer as things from his time were brought slowly forward in context. He felt less like there was no lifeline to hang on to, the way he had felt after SHIELD had tossed him into the thick of things. Steve stretched, and headed up to join Tony for breakfast.

At the breakfast table, Tony took a deep breath. “Hey, Cap, some of the things you said the first day led me to do some research, and I ran into some information I think you should know.” Tony decided to go into the general reason for their being an image issue first, because he suspected Steve wouldn't take in anything after he mentioned Becca Barnes. “You see, since you became a Capsicle, various companies and politicians have been using your image to support various policies and products that, after talking to you, I suspect you would have a problem with.” Steve looked as if he was going to interrupt to get some more information on that bit. “Hang on, Steve, because that research led me to the important information. Let me finish, then we can talk.” Tony took a deep breath. “So, I had my lawyers research how to get control of your image so that we could make it so that everything you believe in is what you stand for in public as well, and we discovered who owned your image. Now, they've been fighting the politicians and companies on your behalf, actually, but they just didn't have the resources to do so. When I had my lawyers offer assistance, they were rightfully suspicious and wanted to know why. I haven't told them yet.” Tony took another deep breath.

“Just tell me, Tony. I can handle it.”

“Becca Barnes owns your image. She's still alive.” Tony winced as Steve's face immediately turned chalk white. “She's actually in pretty good health, and certainly still sharp as a tack as she's managing to make ALL my lawyers want to make her happy so that she doesn't argue her way around them.”

Steve managed a smile, even though it was slightly watery. “I know my existence as 'Steve Rogers' is classified, but I really want to go see her. And maybe then she won't give the lawyers a hard time.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, I figured my lawyers were the best solution to this one, as you can't be you yet. I originally was going to buy the rights, but that was before I found out who owned them. Besides being the person I suspect you wanted to have them in the first place, I really don't want to mix it up with someone who scares my lawyers.”

Steve's watery smile became a watery, slightly rueful chuckle. “Yeah, she was always a firecracker. Had to be, to keep up with Bucky...” He drifted off, but while there was pain and regrets, he found that for the first time, he could actually think the name, and even say it, without immediately falling apart.

“Well, now that I've broken the news to you that she exists, shall we arrange to go see her? She won't know that she's seeing you until you show up, no way around that. I can come with you...” Tony drifted off, trying not to babble in relief that the reveal had gone well, rather than causing Steve to completely fall apart.

“Sure, come along. I think you and Becca will get on amazingly. You'd have gotten on well with Buck, too... He was always after some dame, and liked to have a good time. I was the square holding him back.” Steve was starting to realize he had a type for best friends. Brunette, smart, sassy, and far better with the dames than he ever was. This made him realize just how swiftly Tony could become his best friend here in the future. And why did he have a physical type for best friend?

Tony, unaware of Steve's thoughts, responded, “Well, I'm glad you think I'll get along with your best bro's little sis. I'll email the lawyers and have them set up a meeting.” Suiting actions to words, Tony pulled out his tablet, while wondering why he was so willing to bend over backwards to make sure everything went perfectly for Steve when it came to this. “All right, this will take a bit of time to set up, probably at least a couple of days to make sure she's free, and that non-disclosures are signed. Let's see how much further we can catch you up in the meantime.” Tony was not really looking forward to McCarthy in the song, but maybe seeing Becca would cheer him up after the inevitable downer moment.

Steve nodded, understanding, despite wanting to leave right that minute. He figured if he was distracted it would be easier to wait until everything was ready. “All right then, what's next?”

Tony started, “Walter Winchell is-”

Steve cut him off, “That hack? How did he get into this song? All the man did was gossip about celebrities. I mean, it was pretty great the way he defended the negroes and attacked Hitler, but there was always something slimy about him.”

Tony winced when Steve said 'negroes'. “Okay, a few things. First off, 'negroes' is no longer polite terminology. 'Black' or 'African-American' is what we use nowadays. Second, he's in this song at this point for two reasons. One, we'll come back to, because someone more critical to this point is mentioned a bit further on. The second one is actually going to be pretty relevant to your life, surprisingly. That celebrity gossip that he started? Well, it's a pretty big component of journalism these days. If you google me, for example, you'll find dozens upon dozens of articles about my personal life, starting from when I was a kid. And now you're a modern celebrity. The media may not know your identity, but the only reason we haven't had major speculation on it in the mainstream media is because they've been busy with aliens. You fight again, and you'll see a lot of it. And the tabloids- those things will treat you like crap. The media will, if they can, follow you around. They'll take advantage of any moment of weakness, of any trip in your step. You don't show any? They'll make one up. You can hide all you want- they'll be there. Steve, you have to be careful not to lose yourself in hiding yourself.” Tony winced again at the last line, and the franticness he finally heard in his own voice. He was fairly sure he just gave up more than he wanted to.

Steve's face had gone slack jawed as he listened to the torrent of words coming from the engineer, resolving in horror as he realized just how much the press had affected the man. “Tony... Tony, are you okay?”

Tony got his composure back and decided to front, hard, to make sure Steve didn't realize quite how badly all the media exposure had hurt him. “Always, Cap. Always.”

Steve looked skeptical, but decided now was not the time to push, especially when his brain was finally starting to try to wrap around what the gossip reporters would mean for him. He decided to focus on something he could wrap his mind around. “So... negroes is no longer the right word? I mean, that's what Gabe used... What other language has changed when it comes to being polite?”

Tony relaxed a bit at the subject change, grateful that he would be able to take a breather. “Well, people with ancestry from Central and South America are, when referring to a group, either Hispanic or Latinos. People from Asia are Asian-Americans, or a specific nationality, like Japanese-Americans or Indian-Americans. I don't know how that was in your day. Oh! Has anyone mentioned the changes when it comes to feminism and homosexuality?”

Steve shook his head. “Not really. There was just enough to make sure I didn't inadvertently offend someone, but it was more along the lines of 'Don't talk about this' rather than any substantial information on how things have changed. I'm not an idiot, I can infer that things changed, but I don't know how.” Steve was desperate to know. He told himself it was to make sure he didn't offend anyone, but he knew that there was something else here.

Tony, sensing Steve's desperation, decided to try and relax the mood. “Keep your spangles on, Cap. I'll make sure you're all on the up and up. There's a lot of history here, some of which we'll be going over, so I'll just leap into where we are now. With feminism, women are much more equal. In fact, on paper, they have equality. There are still people living in caves who don't believe in equality, and the actuality is that equality is not completely there, whatever it says on paper. There's a few specific sticking points, and we aren't going to get into idiot dudebros right now. Given Aunt Peggy-”

Steve interjected, “Aunt Peggy?!”

Tony realized no one had told Steve, so he had to. “Yes, she's my godmother. Given that, I know how you feel about strong women, and that you have no problem with them. So, I'm not too worried. Just be careful of those old-fashioned manners. Too much of them could be a problem, but I doubt you'll have much trouble.” Steve was sitting there, attempting to take in everything. He knew he wasn't getting the full Tony Stark experience, but he also was starting to feel overwhelmed. But, he had asked. “With homosexuality, well, that changed a lot more, and is still more controversial. Biggest change from your time, well, it's not illegal to be gay.” Tony barreled on, not wanting to deal with whatever Steve thought at this point. “A lot more identities have been accepted, and some words reclaimed, others definitely still slurs. For example,” Here, Tony took a deep breath, knowing this could make or break the fragile friendship they were building, “I'm bisexual. That means I find both men and women sexually attractive.”

That sentence broke Steve. It made him realize that maybe he could have both found Bucky and Peggy attractive. He wasn't ready to put it into words, but what he hadn't realized was that his face had paled, and his hand had come up to cover his mouth. Tony stopped when he saw that, and asked, in the same gentle voice he had used revealing that Becca Barnes was alive, “Are you okay, Steve?”

Steve shook his head. “I... I need to think. I'm good with you, I just... I don't know about myself.” With that, he fled the room to the gym, needing to get away from his own thoughts for a bit.

Leaning back heavily in his chair, Tony sighed. He realized that something he had said resonated with Steve. Plans would have to be made for a queer Captain America, which also meant that getting either Becca or Steve to control Captain America's image was becoming even more important. Given that it was almost lunchtime, he would give Steve until dinner to gather his thoughts, and then do some careful probing into his identity.

At the same time, Steve was punching the heavy bag, fast and hard. All this time, he thought if he liked the gals well enough, well, then, there was no way he could like the fellas. His own inner thoughts betrayed him with memories of staring longingly at Bucky in his uniform which at the time he had credited to a combination of jealousy and loneliness. More recent thoughts of perhaps being confused about his feelings causing the issues with Tony on the helicarrier were quickly dismissed. He was not ready to consider anyone in the future in that way. Still... every one of the people he even looked at was a mouthy brunette.

Tony had JARVIS remind Steve about dinner, in order to give him time to clean up. Given the amount of new that had been happening, he decided to do something classic without being nostalgic for dinner. A good old New York slice of pizza was what was called for. Steve entered, and seemed a bit relieved to see something familiar. “So, Steve, how are you doing?” Tony asked with more caution than usual.

“I'm all right. I just had some thinking to do.” Steve started chewing on a piece of pizza to have an excuse to not talk anymore.

Tony let him have his moment, talking a bit about the latest tech updates from Stark Industries. Eventually, though, the pizza was gone, and Tony repeated the sentiment. “Are you sure you're alright? I'll listen.”

Steve sighed. He didn't really want to talk about it, but he also knew he would probably need advice about what it meant here in the future, and he didn't have anywhere else to turn. “I think... I think I might be bisexual. I didn't know it was an option, and I liked girls, so I only focused on them, but there were times a fella turned my head. I just don't know what that means for the now.” Steve trailed off, hoping he hadn't revealed anything, like just how much the billionaire in front of him turned his head.

Tony was doing rapid media calculations in one part of his brain while another was squeeing that he had a chance, and a third was wishing he had known this growing up. All he said was, “Well, different people think different things about being bisexual these days. It is far better now than it was even ten years ago, but there is still a long way to go. What this means for you depends a lot on what you want to do.” There. That was natural and involved no squeeing or revelations about his own past.

Steve nodded, not ready to confront popular opinion. “I'd like to keep things quiet for now, while I figure out what is going on in my own head. I'm certainly not ready to do anything about this. When I am, though, can I come to you for advice?” Despite the billionaire saying all the right things, Steve had noticed the awkwardness, and was hoping he hadn't ruined the tentative friendship they had struck up in the past few days.

More naturally, now that he wasn't going to have to dive in to more gay history or his own bisexual coming out, Tony replied, “Of course you can talk to me, Cap. I've got the most media experience of anyone, I'm always in the spotlight.”

Steve relaxed, and dinner continued without further revelations, and after dinner they watched a movie. Steve remarked fondly on Snow White, so Tony decided to catch up with Disney, starting with the next feature. While Pinocchio hit a little close to home at some points, the fun and animation kept it from ever getting the mood down, and let the men relax before going to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

In the morning, Tony checked his email to see if the lawyers had any updates. Apparently Becca Barnes had decided she wanted to find out what was going on, and find out fast. She had demanded the non disclosures, and said she would return them later that day, so tomorrow would be great for the information- except her terms were stronger. With that, Tony knew he had to get through Joe McCarthy that day because otherwise Steve wasn't going to realize why this whole image thing was so important to Becca. Well, at least there was baseball first.

Steve, on waking, decided to sit with his thoughts. He had enough of distraction the previous night, and he needed to sort out his feelings on fellas. While he had never treated the fairies in the neighborhood the way some of the bullies he had tried to beat up did, he also never thought he'd be one of them. Especially since the ones who were obvious about it didn't catch his eye. Of course, not too many of the ladies did, either. Since he couldn't lie to himself, he kept coming back to the thought, 'I have a type. I really, really have a type.' When Steve realized his thoughts were running in circles, he decided it was time to get up and have breakfast. He didn't need to figure out everything today. He had time.

Tony came up to join Steve when he smelled breakfast. The two of them spent the meal pleasantly discussing the animation in the movie they watched before they finished and were ready to continue catching up. Tony smiled. “This next one is a little less stressful. It's about baseball, as the next item is Joe DiMaggio.”

Steve grinned. “I remember him! He played for the damned Yankees. Please tell me he went to a different team.”

“Sorry, Steve. He's mostly notable for the number of World Series he took the Yankees to.”

Steve sighed. “Well, at least it's someone I recognize earning lasting fame. Was it just as a baseball player?” Steve steels himself for some more depressing information.

“Not just that. It was also for marrying the hottest woman of the time, Marilyn Monroe. That wasn't always a happy story, but don't worry about it, she's mentioned later, so right now, let's watch some of DiMaggio's greatest games and relax. I think you deserve it after all the other discussions.”

With that, Jarvis started playing a compilation of the existing footage of DiMaggio's games, and Steve started to relax. Tony smiled, thinking that it was good to see him relaxing, that he looked good that way, without being worried. He then immediately followed it up with a frantic thought that it was because it was good he wasn't worried, it had nothing to do with any attraction, of course.

After a relaxing morning filled with baseball, and a lunch chatting about what they had seen, Tony knew now had come time for one of the more difficult parts of catching Steve up. Given what he had seen, the man would have been a target of Senator McCarthy, and now Tony was responsible for explaining something he wasn't a supporter of, either.

“Okay, Steve, this next one is probably going to piss you off. Just so you know, I don't agree with what McCarthy did, but I have to explain it because it really did shape a lot of why you calling yourself a socialist is now controversial. So, please do your best to not start showing your anger until I've explained more than a sentence.” Tony wasn't sure if prefacing the situation like this was the right thing to do, but after the peaceful morning, he wasn't going to let Steve's mood get ruined suddenly. At least this way, he could mentally prepare.

“Okay... I'll do my best.” Steve eyed Tony cautiously, unsure what required such a preface from the genius.

“So, well, the U.S.S.R. was acting very aggressively just after the war, and, well, the United States wasn't exactly deescalating. Rather,we were trying to match them power move for power move. Due to this, there was a fear of communists in power, as they were seen as Russian agents, rather than a varying political stance. This fear of communism has never really went away, especially given some real problems Russia and China,posed to the United States, as well as problems they faced caused by their governments. A man named Joe McCarthy, a senator, went on a witch hunt against anyone who disagreed with him, calling them communist or allied with such. The most famous example of this was him holding a faked list of names of supposed communists in the State Department which kicked the government witch hunt into high gear. He used the fear to win elections and whip up hate against his political enemies. He browbeat his enemies into submission, for about four years until the Senate finally realized how problematic he was. They finally censured him, but, well, much damage was done, and even socialism's name has been mud in the US ever since. It's starting to change, but only just.” Steve sat there, slack jawed at the amount of information pounding down on him, but feeling that the worst was yet to come. “And Steve, I'm sorry, because I know you'd hate this, he used your image on some of his anti-communism posters and propaganda. I think, from the documents, that's when Becca decided she had to get control of your image, because, well, your face and name being used to defend the worst of America hasn't stopped.”

Steve tried to form his thoughts into words, thoroughly disturbed by what had happened to his image. “Tony... is this why you were convinced I'd hate you?” Steve had no idea why he said that, he meant to keep it in his head.

“No Cap, we're not going there. That is far more complicated and personal than this, and we are NOT ready for that conversation. Let's go back to the awfulness of Joe McCarthy. He purged people suspected of being homosexual, as well. It was probably less accepted in the fifties than the early forties, and that was his fault too. Basically, an awful human being given power by his electorate.” Tony stopped for a breath, trying to figure out a way out of this conversation that didn't look like fleeing.

Steve took advantage of Tony's pause. “I understand horrible people often get elected, and it sounds like McCarthy was one of them. I hope I can get my image back so at least it can't be used for things like this that I would hate.”

“I hope that for you, too. It would help a lot of people, I think, knowing what you actually stand for. Let's watch something lighthearted, and I can give you some books on McCarthyism if you want to know more. I think we've both had enough of talking about it in person.”

Steve asked quietly, “Can we watch some silent films? I just want something familiar right now.”

Tony nodded, and asked JARVIS to play some Charlie Chaplin films. As Cap watched the movie, Tony checked his email, and realized in the morning, he was going to have to take Steve to see Becca.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becca's here!

When Tony got up, he checked in with his lawyers. Becca Barnes had blocked off her morning for 'someone from Stark Industries' to come and see her with why this was suddenly important, and she had signed everything needed. The time had come. Steve was going to see Becca, and the emotional reunion was at hand. Before leaving for the kitchen, he grabbed a cup of his emergency coffee to make sure he was awake enough to let Steve know what was happening.

Steve had slept fitfully, wondering if some of the activists he knew in the thirties were caught up by McCarthy's purges. He knew many people active in the communist and socialist movements, and, being that he was an artist, familiar with the homosexual community as well. McCarthy wasn't what he had fought for in WWII, and he wondered how many other hits to his view of America would come as he caught up with the history. He came in to the kitchen slower than previous mornings, hoping that Tony had plotted breakfast for them.

As the two of them sat down to the donuts that had been delivered, Tony let Steve know the plan for the morning. “Becca signed the forms, and while she isn't expecting you, she is expecting someone from 'Stark Industries' to visit her this morning. If you're not ready to go, I will go and explain what's going on.” Tony tried to be as gentle as possible, but despite getting more practice out of it the past few days than ever before, he still wasn't perfect.

“Nah, I better go with you. She wouldn't brook any nonsense, and if I didn't come, she'd just insist on coming back here with you to see me for herself. I don't want to piss her off any, she's as tough as they come.” Steve started to slide back into his Brooklyn accent in anticipation of the meeting.

Finishing his donut, Tony got up and showed Steve to one of his more discreet cars, one that was merely a small fortune, and not painted any sort of eyecatching shade. He and Steve slipped into the back seat as his driver started the car for Brooklyn. About forty-five silent minutes later, they arrived. Tony had spent the time tinkering on his tablet as Steve didn't seem to want to talk at all. “You ready, big guy?” Tony asked when they pulled up.

Steve visibly pulled himself together. “I have to be. She deserves to know I'm here.” He started to walk towards the door of the Brooklyn home, Tony following in his wake. Steve rung the doorbell.

A voice shouted from within, “I'll be there in a minute, these old bones don't move like they used to!” At the sound, recognizably Becca, Steve grabbed onto the side of the door to hold himself up. Tony was right there by his side instantly.

“Relax. She'll be happy to see you.”

The door opened, Becca saying, “You must be the people from Stark...” She trailed off as she saw Steve. “STEVIE!!!!” She, despite using a cane, did her best to leap into Steve's arms. Fortunately, he had the reaction times of a super soldier, and delicately caught the old woman who clearly recognized him. “You're alive! The soldier there killing aliens really was you! How...how? I know how Captain America saved New York back in the war, so how are you not dead? Is this why Stark Industries wants your face? Wait a moment...” Becca finally realizes that a grinning Tony Stark was standing next to Steve.

“Oh don't stop on my account, I'm enjoying the reunion.” Tony was in fact gaining huge amounts of enjoyment watching a white haired old woman do her best to act like someone's 10 year old little sister, because the affection on their faces was clearly that of siblings.

“Still, I should be a good host. Stevie, put me down.” After being gently set on the ground again, and handed her cane by a still-grinning Tony, she led them into the house. “Come, sit. Tell me how you come to be here, looking like you did in those films Bucky wrote us about, Stevie. I last remember you in person as shorter than me, skinny, and wheezing like you'd die any second.” Her face turned quietly contemplative as she remembered Bucky's worry about Steve more than Steve's actual myriad of illnesses.

“Well, it all started with that one's father.” Steve pointed at Tony, who just shrugged. He continued to tell his story, faltering only twice. The first was when he was discussing how Bucky fell to his death, something he had never told anyone, Tony only knowing some due to his father. Becca just patted his hand and gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek until he was ready to continue. Steve faltered the second time when he talked about crashing into the Arctic. Here, Becca gently coaxed him to finish the story, getting him to the point where he woke up seventy years in the future. Tony, having only had bits and pieces of the story, suddenly had more sympathy for what Steve had gone through.

Becca sighed gently. “I guess it's my turn to catch you up. After you and Bucky were declared dead, Ma got all your stuff, both of you, since yours was left to Bucky. As the neighborhood got nicer, I bought this place. Married a sweet man, had a few kids. They scattered for jobs years ago. They come back to visit on the big holidays, but they just live too far away to see me regularly. My husband died back in the eighties, of cancer. I'm doing okay, but that entire time, I've been trying to get people to see you rather than just Captain America. Until now, no one listened. Howard Stark, the idiot, told me you wouldn't care, and no one else powerful was willing to listen to a girl from Brooklyn. I have the legal right, but the government is very, very good at fighting this. I've tried, but they've used you for so many things...” Becca's voice drifted off, and Steve couldn't seem to find any words, just gently patting Becca's hand.

Tony spoke up, quietly. “It doesn't surprise me what dad did. He told me, often, what 'Captain America' would and wouldn't approve of.” Steve looked up at this, startled at what his old friend had clearly become. “I know better. I want either you or Steve to own what happens to his image. Steve, because it's his, but you're a good second choice in case the security issues prevent me from having the lawyers fight on Steve's behalf. Will you let me help you so that Captain America can finally stand for what Steve Rogers stands for?” Tony had realized that the Steve he knew wasn't his father's picture, and Steve, well, he started to realize where the disastrous meeting on the helicarrier came from on Tony's side. He had questions, but wasn't going to ask them in front of Becca, even if her presence and frankness was cutting through Tony's layers.

Becca smiled, glad she wasn't going to have to kick sense into Tony Stark. “Good, I'm glad. If you weren't going to help, I'd have put the fear of God and Brooklyn into you.” Tony flinched, clearly believing the old lady could easily do it. “Since I don't, let's sit down, have lunch, and talk.” The three of them actually managed a pleasant lunch, discussing various topics, but none heavy or consequential, until Becca brought up her brother. “Steve, I know you loved Bucky. If it hadn't been illegal at the time, I'm sure you two would have been together publically. I'm so, so sorry you lost him.”

Steve slowly gathered his thoughts. “Becca, I thought I liked dames at the time. It wasn't until I arrived here in the future that I realized you could like both. I mean, I know it's okay to like the fellas, but where we grew up? The way I looked? If you liked the fellas, you were a fairy, and, well, that never appealed to me, dressing like a woman and all. Nothing wrong with it, you know who lived in our building, but I thought, well, I thought that was the only way to be queer.”

“Oh, Steve.” Becca was silent for a minute before changing the topic to the antics of the children of her friends, and kept the conversation light the rest of lunch. At the end of lunch, Becca stood. “Mr. Stark-”

“Please, call me Tony. You've been doing it all lunch.”

“Mr. Stark, I will accept the help of your lawyers as long as you promise to help with how Steve and I want Captain America portrayed, not hurt it.”

“I promise. Cap's image will fit Steve here. I never liked the way Captain America got used, anyway. Having an excuse to fix it is perfect.”

Steve and Tony got in the car, and for the first fifteen minutes the drive was silent, then Steve uttered a very quiet, very simple “Thank you.” 

When they got back to the Tower, Steve had recovered enough to get curious about the hints he was gathering about Howard Stark as a father. It was clear from the little said at Becca's the man had talked about him. “So, Tony, it sounds like I'm different from what you expected?”

To Steve's surprise, as he was expecting a joking brush-off, Tony clammed up and went completely stiff. “We're not talking about that. I already said too much about it. I don't want to talk about my father, I know he was your buddy, but we're not talking about it.” Tony then stormed off to the shop to calm down from the revelations he learned, and the secrets he revealed.

The two men didn't see each other until dinnertime, and wouldn't have seen each other even then if Steve didn't bring a plate down to Tony. “Here, Tony. I made some dinner, I hope you like it.” Steve held out the plate of boiled chicken, cabbage, and potatoes, which was practically the only thing he knew how to make with the ingredients in the kitchen.

Tony waved his hand towards a clear area in the workshop. “Just leave it over there. I'll eat it in a minute. Don't worry. We'll talk tomorrow, just, give us both tonight?” Tony knew he was getting ready to put his mask back on, but he needed the time to do so. Steve stripped him raw without even trying, being both so much better and so much more human than how Howard had described him.

Steve stepped back, giving Tony the space the man clearly craved. “Okay then. I'll see you in the morning.”

After Steve left, Tony had one more 'oh-shit' moment. How the hell was he going to explain Richard Nixon?


	6. Chapter 6

In the morning the two men both woke up slowly, with much on their mind. Steve was fairly sure, after sleeping on it, that his old friend Howard was responsible for the disaster that his first meeting with Tony became, while Tony, having ignored that once he was done in his shop, was trying to figure out how much to discuss about Nixon when first mentioned in the song, given he comes up directly one more time, and indirectly several more times. Well, he'd at least get to split up that train wreck.

After repeating the pattern of a breakfast with little in the way of serious conversation, Steve and Tony went to continue catching Steve up. Even though that seemed to often be emotionally fraught, it was better than trying to get personal again. Before beginning with the next bit of the song, Nixon, Tony took a deep breath. 

“Okay, this next person probably comes up directly or indirectly in the song more times than anyone else. It's Richard Nixon, and he was a major political presence from the late forties until the early seventies. Given that he shows up several times, I'm not going to go over his whole career at this point, but rather I'm going to give you a basic idea of his general perspective and personality. Nixon was an anti-communist crusader. He typically campaigned on being tough on communism, and especially his opponents being either communist or weak on communism in some way. He was anti-union as well. His campaigns were known for being dirty, and in his first senate campaign, which is what the song is referencing here, he got the nickname “Tricky Dick”. A man driven to succeed in the political realm, “by any means necessary” seemed to be his watchword. His later political career will come up as we go, so I'll pause it here.” Tony seemed relieved to Steve's eyes to be able to pause after the massive info dump on Nixon's early career.

“Given how much you had to say here, how much could be left?” Steve wondered out loud. “Clearly, there's something, but that's already enough to make me dislike and disapprove of the man. Politicians should work to help people, not run on fear-mongering. I know they do, but I keep hoping for better.”

Tony winced. “Oh, you have no idea how much you're going to hate Nixon by the time we're done talking about him. That's why I don't want to talk about the rest of his career before we have to. Also, this way, you have at least some background when we get to the stuff you'll hate. You might not understand it all without that. Some, you'd hate without any background at all.”

“That bad? Are you sure?”

“Steve, I knew you'd hate Nixon before I knew anything more than what Howard told me about you. Hating Nixon is actually really easy to do once you know more. I'm not sure if anyone outside the innermost reaches of his old circle ever knew everything. I'll add this to my assessment that will hopefully tell you more without spoiling anything. Nixon was paranoid, and convinced that there were conspiracies against him.” Tony frowned, realizing that no matter what he did, he was probably going to, in the process of catching Steve up, kill any last faith Steve had in the government. Steve was going to end up as cynical as any modern voter.

“Let's move on! The next item is less fraught. Still not completely fun, but still better. How much do you know about the automobile industry?”

Steve looked almost thrown by the rapid change in topics, but could tell Tony was trying to hold off on more about Nixon until he absolutely had to give all the information. “Umm, not much. We were too poor to have a car back when I was a kid, and I haven't looked at it much since. Henry Ford was an  
antisemite, I do know that.”

“Yes, he was, but that's actually not that relevant to this bit about the auto industry. So, in your day there were several car manufacturers, correct?” Tony continued without waiting for Steve's response. “There are a lot fewer American car manufacturers now than there was then, and Studebaker is representative of all of the small car manufactures getting eaten up by the big ones. Their expenses were too high, and the big manufacturers, like Ford, GM and Chrysler, could make cars cheaper and easier. While this was a major turning point, it's basically just indicative of a larger trend that's still going on- that of fewer companies providing goods and services. While SI has benefited some, it's not as big an issue for us because we're so far ahead of everyone else. It's probably hurt consumers some as the lack of competition hasn't helped prices on some things. Overall, a good fact to know, but not as big as some other things.”

Steve shrugged, not actually knowing or caring that much about business as long as they treated their workers well. “Not my area of interest or expertise, either. But, definitely good information. Moving on, we've gotten through these last two quicker than we have been, which I'm grateful for, but since we still have a little bit before lunch, I'd like to ask you again about Howard.”

Suddenly a lot less bubbly and cheerful, Tony winced. “Steve, from what I can tell based on both what you said at Becca's, and my father's own stories, the man you knew and the man I knew were very different. I'm not ready to tell you everything as I don't know you well enough for that, but I will say that he gave me an inaccurate picture of you which this week has done a great deal to change. And, I like the you I am seeing far, far better than the Captain America my father spent his life searching for.”

Disappointed in his old friend, but not surprised anymore, Steve nodded. “All right. I'll take that. Do you want to take a break for an hour before lunch and continuing to catch me up?”

“Yes, please.” Gratefully, Tony fled to his workshop, while Steve pulled out a sketchbook, doodling while he wondered what happened to make the Howard he knew so different from the one Tony grew up with.

For lunch, Tony's uncomfortableness with the issues raised came out in his choice of what to order. While delicious, sushi was challenging for a man from the forties. Steve was adventurous and game to try it, but it certainly wasn't a meal meant to make him feel comfortable. Despite that, the conversation over food was pleasant and light.

After lunch, the two of them moved into the living room in front of the television. “So, based on what I've seen, you're already basically familiar with the television from the next bit from the song. It did have a major cultural effect. It totally changed the movie experience. It killed the newsreel, eventually, as people were able to get visual news on their televisions. More entertainment came into people's homes, and more stars became household names. Basically, it was like the radio, only moreso. Now, there's so many channels, it's become a no longer funny joke to mention two hundred of them and nothing being on.”

“I understand. Radio, well, it changed things a lot. I don't really remember beforehand, but my ma did, and told me how it made things more immediate. What I don't understand is how there can be so many channels and nothing worth watching!” Steve's voice held more than a bit of amusement for that piece of information, something he learned while in multiple hotels.

Tony grinned at Steve's knowledge of television's lack of good content. “No one knows, Steve. No one knows. It's been a truism for years, though. We'll come back to television in a few places where it had an impact on history, because there are times when something being televised made things different than they otherwise would be. Do you want to watch some classic TV, or would you prefer to move on with the catching up? I do have to warn you, the next subject is on the heavy end again, and will probably take a while to explain.” Tony was actually sort of hoping Steve would take the television option, though the Korean war would be easier to deal with than Vietnam.

Steve, sensing that the next topic would be best left for the next day, voted for watching good television. “How about I Love Lucy? It's from the early fifties, and it's still referenced today. We can marathon it through dinnertime?” Steve quickly agreed, and the two of them were soon laughing to Lucille Ball's antics. While there wasn't enough time to watch even a whole season, Steve asked JARVIS to save where he was when the two of them finally quit to go to sleep as he knew he'd want to watch more. For his part, Tony was glad to see the super soldier laughing like he didn't have a care in the world, and he knew watching the show was the right choice. Depressing the man with how war had continued after he went down could wait for the next day.

As they both left the living room, smiles still stretching their faces from the show, they were leaning on each other, for once fully relaxed in each other's presence. Apparently Lucille Ball's humor is truly timeless.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning for Steve forgetting polite modern language and immediately correcting himself.

The next morning, Steve awoke to a message from Becca, who wanted to find a time to catch up just the two of them, rather than having Tony there as both a buffer and an inhibitor of frankness. Steve dashed off a note, asking for a dinner meeting for the next day, before getting up for breakfast. He saw Tony had already ordered in something for breakfast. Bagels, he recognized, but he wasn't familiar with the pink fish smelling item with them. Tony, seeing his confusion said, “Bagels and lox, Steve.” He hadn't realized they hadn't been popular in Steve's day, so he tried to explain. “It's a classic New York brunch. So classic, I didn't actually realize you wouldn't recognize it. Lox is a cured salmon dish, eaten on bagels with cream cheese and other toppings. I'm sure you'll love it, everyone else in New York does.”

 

Steve cautiously took a bite of the sandwich Tony handed him. “This is pretty good!” Steve proceeded to finish an absolutely obscene amount of lox, clearly loving the dish that had taken over New York while he was on ice. Tony grinned to see that he hadn't ruined the day with breakfast, especially since he'd be ruining it soon enough with the Korean War.

 

After breakfast, the two men adjourned to the living room again, this time both aware that the topic would be fraught. “So, Steve, the next item in the song, 'North Korea, South Korea' is about the next major war that the United States got into after the one you were in. Unfortunately, World War Two didn't end war, and in many ways this next one is closer to how the rest went than yours. The first thing that's different is the situation. Here, it's a bit more clear cut, but the separation of North and South Korea is fairly recent. The war was fought over the future of the Korean Peninsula, after the North, which was communist, invaded the South, which was not.”

 

Steve interjected, “Why did the US get involved then? It doesn't sound like it had anything to do with us, or even defeating evil like the Nazis.”

 

“Here's where McCarthyism gets important. Defending South Korea, which is the side we came in on, was seen as necessary to defeat, or at least contain, communism. You'll see that motive several times throughout this history, some of which have come back later to bite us in the ass. Honestly, Korea, while a shitshow in many ways, was far from the worst involvement we had in other countries over the last seventy years.”

 

“Anything that didn't make it into the song that I should know about?”

 

“Well, our meddling in South and Central America was probably even worse than when Wilson was president. We don't even learn about Wilson's acts that much these days, but thanks to my former job, I am very familiar with all the reasons various nations have to hate the United States.”

 

“Worse than Wilson? He's the reason a lot of socialists like my ma were reluctant to vote for FDR, but when the choice was FDR or Hoover, FDR won. Wilson was horrible to negros, oops, sorry, black people. He wasn't all that good to other people who weren't white, but my ma actually knew a woman who worked at her hospital whose husband lost a good government job when Wilson segregated the government. He also fought all those wars down in Mexico and things, is that what you're talking about?”

 

“Yeah. Racism in the US, well, there's still a lot of problems, but here I'm referring to Wilson's interference in other countries. We did a lot of that in this time. The Korean War was actually a coalition of different governments, and was probably the least out of line of such wars. The problem was the government meddled in the conduct of the war, partially because Douglas MacArthur was trying to take over.”

 

Steve looked furious all of a sudden. “MacArthur was a damned glory hound. Not a bad general, but his posturing was a damn embarrassment.”

 

“Well, you know exactly how senior the man was. By the time of the Korean War, he was senior in service to everyone, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Omar Bradley. That led to a lot of drama in the handling of the war that was not appreciated by the men in the war. The war eventually ended, but as that's another entry in the song, we'll discuss that later.”

 

Steve sighed heavily at the information he had received. Tony was right, it was heavy and unhappy. He had been hoping that there had been no more wars after he brought his plane down, but the clear evidence that not only had there been more, but that America hadn't always been in the right was difficult to take. He was Captain America, but he couldn't stand for everything that America had done. He never could, but it seemed clearer back when they were fighting Nazis.

 

As Steve sighed, Tony sat in silence, using his tablet to catch up on work while Steve assimilated this information. He knew it was tough, but he also knew that if Steve knew that the US wasn't always the good guy now, it would make some things coming later a lot easier to get through. At least they could watch a good movie under the guise of catching up when they moved on to the next subject.

 

Eventually, Steve drifted towards the kitchen, asking Tony if he wanted a sandwich for lunch. Tony agreed, and the two of them spent a quiet lunch, slowly warming up over the course of it. By the end, they were basically chatting lightly about  _ I Love Lucy _ as they ate. Afterwards, they again went to the living room.

 

“So, Steve, this next bit is about one of the most famous actresses of the twentieth century, Marilyn Monroe. She's famous both for her amazing acting, and for her tumultuous personal life. She was actually married to Joe DiMaggio for a while, though they divorced. They did remain friends, and it's said that DiMaggio was in love with her his whole life. That's about as wholesome as her personal life gets, though.”

 

“Do we really need to go into her personal life? It feels wrong, Tony.”

 

“Okay, fine. The one thing you need to know about that is that she is strongly rumored to have slept with JFK. Oh wait, we haven't gotten to him. That's John F. Kennedy, he was elected president in 1960. It's not so much historically important as necessary to understand cultural references. To this day, that's a reference made. I'll leave the rest of her personal life out of it, except to say that she was very troubled, and that's both why she doesn't have more movies, and why she died.”

 

Steve looked both disturbed that sleeping with a president was something still referenced over fifty years later and relieved he didn't have to feel voyeuristic about her personal life. “Was she important for any other reason?”

 

Tony laughed. “Oh she was incredibly important. She made several popular films, and was one of the most popular actresses of the 1950s. She also has an incredibly famous photo, that was used to promote one of her movies. Here, take a look.” Tony points at the screen, where JARVIS helpfully posted the famous picture of Monroe's skirt blowing up over the subway grate. “It's gorgeous, and famous. To this day, people will recreate the shot. So, not only her personal life, but also her public life is well known to this day. Mention her name, and it will be recognized.”

 

“Do her films hold up?”

 

“They're still pretty popular. We can watch one, if you want. JARVIS, pull up  _ Gentlemen Prefer Blondes _ . I think the Captain will appreciate the musical numbers.” Tony's actual reason was he was familiar enough with the movie to think it didn't have any triggers for Steve, and probably not even for him, the gold diggers he'd faced weren't what his nightmares were about.

 

The two of them settled back and relaxed, watching their afternoon movie. Covertly glancing over, Tony was pleased to see Steve getting into the movie, and enjoying Monroe and Russell's acting. Tony paused the movie just before the big musical number 'Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend'. When Steve glared, Tony said, “This is why I picked this movie. This song is still famous, and referenced. It seems silly, but most people, even those who haven't heard the song, are familiar with the chorus line to some extent.” Without giving Steve a chance to respond, Tony continued the movie. After the movie was over, the two of them were both relaxed and happy.

 

“Thanks, Tony. That Marilyn sure was a pistol, wasn't she? What happened to her?”

 

“Remember how I said her personal life was also relevant to how she died? She died of a drug overdose. They think she did it to herself, on purpose. It's really sad, but there's also a lot of signs that she had been in trouble a long time, and never got the help she really needed.”

 

Clearly upset at this ending, Steve nodded slowly. “Well, it's just about dinner time. What shall we eat tonight?” Tony allowed the obvious subject change and thought about what food to try.

 

“Let's have Korean. We talked about that a bit earlier, so at least it's relevant.” Tony ordered in a selection of Korean dishes, and the talk over dinner was deliberately kept light, though much of it was about the movie they had watched. After dinner, neither of them seemed eager to leave the other alone, though it wasn't clear why, so they crashed on the couch and continued to watch  _ I Love Lucy _ . Tony figured they could change shows when they got a bit further in history.

 

Eventually, the two of them fell asleep on the couch, as Lucy's antics played across the TV screen. Once they were asleep, JARVIS turned off the TV and dimmed the lights, hoping that nothing would be ruined by the two of them waking up on the couch together in the morning.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nuclear proliferation is the subject of the day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long! This is not, and will not be abandoned, but I have reached the end of my pre-prepared chapters, so updates will be slower. Thank you for reading!

Tony was the first to stir in the morning, and when he woke up, he discovered he couldn't move due to a super soldier leaning on him. Wanting to avoid the awkwardness, Tony attempted to slip out from under Steve, but only succeeded in waking Steve up. “Huh, we must have fallen asleep watching TV. That Lucy, she was a fine dame. A bit squirrely, but dang, that was a good show to fall asleep to. Oh, Tony, I won't be home for dinner today. Becca and I are going to meet up to catch up by ourselves. I hope that's fine with you?”

 

Relieved that Steve hadn't mentioned the awkward waking, Tony just nodded. “Yes, that's fine. We'll do some catching up over today. Let me check the song.” As soon as he double checked the lyrics, Tony winced, badly. He realized that there was no way Steve would be in a good mood unless he timed it exactly right. How long would it take to explain some of the items? Tony, being a futurist, sometimes was so busy looking at the future he forgot how depressing the past could be, and now he was having to deal with it. “Let's go grab some breakfast while I think about this one.”

 

“I can make pancakes. Give you time to plan.”

 

“Thanks, Steve.” Tony's smile was a little strained. He wanted to make sure Becca and Steve had a good dinner. Maybe he could get through both the Rosenbergs and the H Bomb before lunch, so afterwards could be Sugar Ray and end on a high note? Tony then checked himself. He wasn't sure why he was so invested in making sure Steve had a good dinner. Steve was just a teammate, maybe becoming a friend. Why was his happiness becoming important? Dismissing the thoughts, Tony went back to preparing his history lesson, or rather, how to gloss over his history lesson.

 

After breakfast, Tony took a deep breath. “All right. This next one still has controversy, but here's the basic fact of the matter. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, husband and wife, were executed for spying for the Soviet Union. They were the only American civilians executed for such during the Cold War. While it's fairly clear Julius was guilty, there  is still a lot more questions about how culpable Ethel was.”

 

Steve nods. “It sounds like it's not quite that simple.”

 

“No, it's not. There's a whole lot of questions about the prosecution of the case, and whether the case was prosecuted legally or ethically. There's also a question as to whether antisemitism was part of the issue. It's a huge thing, and it's not something I'm an expert on. I can help you find more information if you want, though.”

 

Steve shook his head. “I don't think I can take that right now. Maybe later.”

 

Relieved at how quickly they had gotten through the section, Tony nodded. He was dreading the next bit, though. Well, first he had to see if Steve had the necessary background. “All right. Before we go into the next section, I have a question for you to see how much information we'll need to go over. Do you know how the war in the Pacific ended? Your war?”

 

Steve looked down. “That's one of the things I asked early on, and Fury answered. I still can't believe there was a single bomb that could destroy a city like that. It seems impossible.”

 

“Not impossible. My dad worked on that bomb after you went down, you know. Other people had been working on it, but he joined in on the project. Sometimes I think it was one of his biggest regrets, after losing you.”

 

“Oh Tony-” Steve began before being interrupted.

 

“No, we're not talking about this now. Possibly not ever. It's just relevant to the next line of the song, discussing the H-bomb. You see, that bomb was a more advanced version of the bombs we dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” Seeing Steve pale, Tony was quick to reassure him. “They have never been used outside of tests. The only nuclear weapons used outside of testing have been those first two dropped. But, during the time period from after World War II up until the late 1980s, we were in a constant arms race with the Soviet Union, each trying to have the bigger and better weapons. The H-bomb was part of that. My dad didn't work on the new bomb, the first one gave him enough nightmares. He kept making weapons, but the nuclear bomb was a whole different story.” Tony trailed off.

 

Steve still looked a bit shaken. “Fury showed me pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” He stumbled over the unfamiliar place names. “They were  _ horrifying _ . And you're telling me we did things to make those bombs even more powerful?”

 

Tony looked regretful. “Yes, we did. I have never worked on the project, and my father stopped pretty quickly after realizing the consequences, but we, as a country, decided the best thing to do was create bigger bombs like that. And the USSR followed suit. Nuclear arms treaties are a cornerstone of international diplomacy these days, as are policies of nuclear deterrence. There is a general idea that it would be a good idea to prevent even more countries from getting the nuclear bomb.”

 

“How... how many countries have it now?” Steve asked cautiously.

 

“Well, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China are all part of the original treaties regarding nuclear weapon proliferation. India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons, but are not part of those treaties. North Korea is a very recent acquirer of nuclear weapons, and this has caused significant issues, which we will get to later. Israel is believed to have nuclear weapons, and a few countries have had them in the past but no longer do. Nuclear politics is confusing and complicated, but honestly, other than North Korea, not typically of concern to the average person. Sometimes India and Pakistan come close to war, but that tends to mostly just end up being periods of rising and cooling tensions.”

 

Steve was boggled. He'd recently learned about North Korea, and India was a region in Asia owned by the British, but Israel was out of the Bible, and he'd never even heard of Pakistan! “Uh, Tony...” He began, when Tony interrupted, clearly realizing what the problem was.

 

“Don't worry about Israel, it comes up again, and I'll get into that mess of a history then. As for Pakistan and India, not too long after you went down, India won independence from Great Britain. Thing is, there was a lot of religious tension between Hindus and Muslims in the country, and fairly quickly after, India split into Pakistan and India. Bangladesh is also part of this, but that history actually isn't important. The important part, and the reason why Pakistan and India having nuclear weapons makes the world nervous is a region called Kashmir. This region is claimed by both India and Pakistan, and tensions are very high around it even at the best of times. At the worst, it devolves into armed conflict.”

 

Steve again was sitting there, trying to take in an immense amount of information about a region of the world he knew almost nothing about. Given what he was hearing, it was clearly important, but he didn't even know enough to ask intelligent questions. “Tony, this is clearly important, and I think you've given me enough to go on, but if I'm going to be involved in some sort of international group of any kind, it's sounding like I'll need even more information. Are there any good summaries of the situation?”

 

Tony thought carefully. “I'll find a couple for you, but we're going to wait until we finish catching up. This is the long background. There's things, especially related to Pakistan, that you need to be caught up on before you go researching on your own. And those we may not get to until after the song. But, trust me. You don't want to go there yet.”

 

Steve smiled. It was small, given the subject matter, but his realization deserved it. “Tony, I do trust you. Completely.”

 

At that, Tony gave a completely uncharacteristic blush and quickly changed the subject. “Let's have Indian for lunch, given we've been talking about the region. I think you'll enjoy the food.”

 

Tony ordered in a selection of Indian dishes, which he was right about Steve enjoying. Despite the large amounts of food ordered, Steve polished off everything, down to the rice pudding. “You're right, Tony! That was delicious! Now, what do we have for me before I have to leave for dinner?”

 

“We have boxing! Sugar Ray Robinson is in this song for being a boxing legend. First as a welterweight boxer, where he was champion, then as a middleweight champion for years. He started boxing professionally in 1940 and didn't retire completely until 1965. His record was 173 wins, 19 losses, and 6 draws.” Steve's mouth dropped open.

 

“We listened to his big Madison Square Garden match before the war on the radio! Buck really wanted to go, but we couldn't afford tickets. Buck was a boxer, he made money in local bouts, and was the welterweight champion of Brooklyn. I'm actually really happy that Sugar Ray did so amazingly well!” Tony looked a bit shocked, not realizing that Steve would be familiar with this name.

 

“Want to watch the available highlights of his matches before you have to get ready for dinner?”

 

“Sure!” The two of them settled down to watch, Steve grew melancholic, as he was sure Bucky would have loved to watch these fights. He would have loved to have sat between the two men, his best friend, and the man he was becoming close friends with. They were both good men.

 

“Hey, Tony? I never apologized for what I said on the helicarrier. I misjudged you, and I'm sorry.” Steve couldn't go any longer spending time with Tony without trying to apologize. Tony had done so much for him, and he would never be able to pay this back.

 

“No problem, Capsicle. Over and done. What I said, I was wrong about that too, so let's get back to the boxing.” Tony had to quickly skim over the emotional bit. He was already too close to Steve, and he couldn't let him further under his skin.


	9. Interlude- A Dinner and a Show (For Becca and Pepper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long! This work is still in progress, and I am writing more, but it is slow going sometimes. Thanks for all your patience.

While Steve was at dinner with Becca, Tony decided to call Pepper. She was due back from Malibu soon, and he didn't want her to be surprised by the guest in the Tower. So, he called, and as soon as Pepper saw his face, she immediately asked, “What did you do this time, Tony?”

“Nothing! Okay, well, I invited Captain America to stay at the Tower.”

“Why would you do such a thing? Didn't you hate him on first meeting?”

“Well, I thought I did, then he had no where else to go, then he asked me to catch him up on history, and at first I wasn't sure about that, but he asked me to use music to do so, so I absolutely couldn't refuse. See? It was entirely logical.”

“Tony, I don't think that word means what you want it to.”

“Still, Pep! Cap is lost in the big wide world without any idea how much it changed. You can't argue with me doing a good deed!”

Pepper looked closer at Tony's face. “And how are you getting along with the good Captain?”

Tony started smiling without realizing it. “He isn't so bad once you get to know him. The stick certainly seems to be moving out from his ass. It's actually hard to disappoint him sometimes with how the world has changed.”

Pepper started smiling. “It certainly seems to have been good for you, too. Although, it looks like the Captain and I will need to have a long talk at some point. Where is he right now?”

“A long talk? Why? Well, no matter. He's having dinner with the sister of a friend from before his ice nap. Becca Barnes is her name, and she reminds me a bit of Peggy Carter, though I would never say that to Steve.” Tony was confused as to why Pepper would want to have a long talk with Steve, at least with that tone.It was one that said she was happy, but whoever she was talking to better do their best to make sure she stays that way.

“Really? How interesting. Perhaps she and I should have a long talk.” This time, Pepper's tone was intrigued, and after spending time with Becca, Tony knew that the two of them meeting meant neither he nor Steve would run their own lives ever again.

“I'm not sure that's a good idea, Pep...” Tony trailed off as he realized he had no good arguments other than his own self-preservation for why Becca should not meet Pepper. Pepper, hearing him trail off, decided she didn't need to argue since she already won.

“Well, you enjoy spending time with Captain America, and be good! If you are, I won't tell him about your Captain America Halloween costumes from 1974 through 1979. I thought the one from when you were 7 was the best. Good bye, Tony!” With that, Pepper hung up, leaving Tony a bit nervous about the number of strong women in his life. Pepper was awesome, but he really only needed one of her. Otherwise, the awesome would get too concentrated.

At this same time, Becca was having dinner with Steve. She was far more subtle than Pepper. She didn't really need to be, but it was due to a long habit of carefully getting her way. Also, she was enjoying catching Steve up on the stories from the neighborhood. She made sure to catch him up on all of his childhood friends. Once the dishes were cleared, though, she decided it was time to make sure Steve was taking care of himself. “So, Steve, how is 2012 treating you, other than alien invasions?”

“Well, it's been tough, especially before I knew you were still around, and even tougher before I came back to New York and ended up in Tony's tower. He's done right by me, though. Given me a place to stay, and is helping me catch up. Made it a lot easier.”

“So, what's your favorite part of now? Other than spending time with me, of course.”

“Tony's made so many amazing inventions. His tower is like those speculative fiction novels Bucky and I loved. He makes it feel like I'm living in the future, not just a man who doesn't belong. He's also makes sure I'm not too confused. He'll bring up something, but if I don't know what it is, he'll explain or make sure I somehow understand. Despite being the most future man I've met, he's the one who's tried the hardest to make sure I'm caught up.” During this explanation, Becca started to smile.

“Good, I'm glad he's taking care of you. He sounds like Buck in that way, a man you can count on to have your back.”

“Yeah. I didn't think so at first, but now I'm sure of it. He really does remind me of Bucky.”

Becca giggled to herself. Looks like her old friend had a crush and didn't even realize it. She decided not to let him know since she didn’t want to ruin the best entertainment she currently has in her life, that of watching Steve Rogers cluelessly pine for Tony Stark. “We'll have to make this dinner a regular thing, Stevie, but next time you're gonna bring Tony along. You don't have to every time, but I need to thank him for taking care of you.”

Steve nodded. “Sure, Becca.”

After talking to the women who were determined to make sure their lives ran smoothly, both men slept well that night.


End file.
